At Calico Laine, we love any and all craft projects. From sewing to jewellery making, and cards to crochet and knitting, we are always happy to see our customers come up with all sorts of wonderful ideas as a personal project, or a gift for a family member or friend. Particularly with gifts, if it is a small item that you are creating, some of our customers like to go the extra mile with their packaging too! I personally like to make small zipper pouches for items such as jewellery and other little gifts; not only does the recipient get the present I intended for them, but they can then go on to use the pouch for other purposes as well. In today's blog, I will be walking you through how to make one of your own. You will need: - A dress zip (any length you choose) - Some outer fabric (you will need two pieces, both the same length as your zipper and however wide you like) - Some lining fabric (again, two pieces are needed; try using a contrasting fabric for a unique look) - A reel of thread (I recommend our Gutermann Sew-All Threads or our Moon Threads) Step One Take one of your lining fabric pieces and lay it flat with the right side of the fabric facing up. Take your zip and lay it face up, then one of your outer fabric pieces and lay it face down. Line up the three edges and pin them together. Sew along the edge. Step Two Repeat the first step with the other side of the zip and the other two pieces of fabric that you should have left over. Pull your fabric pieces back to reveal the right sides. Top stitch along each side of the zip for a neat look (although top stitching is optional, I always recommend it for a more professional-looking finish). Step Three Pull both pieces of lining fabric to one side, and both pieces of outer fabric to the other side. Unfasten your zip (this is very important to do at this point!). Pin around all four edges of the entire project. Step Four Sew all the way around all four edges. Make sure to leave a small gap (about three inches) in the bottom edge of your lining pieces (this is necessary so that you can turn your pouch the right side out). Step Five Clip the corners of your pouch, then turn it the right side out. Sew the small gap in your lining fabric closed either by hand or with your machine (my personal favourite method is to use a ladder stitch by hand), then push the lining inside the outer fabric. Your zipper pouch is now finished! If you decide to try your hand at our zipper pouch tutorial, be sure to take a photo and upload it to our Facebook page - we love to see what our customers come up with!